"Somehow, he gets back on his bike and he gets going again." 👏 This was a NASTY fall at high speed from Aleksandr Vlasov! TDF 2024 | @SBS & @SBSOnDemand | June 29 - July 21 #SBSTDF | #couchpeloton | #TDF2024
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe annoyed by 'double standards' in Tour de France
CyclingMonday, 08 July 2024 at 14:24
Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe had a perilous day in the Tour de France on Sunday. Team leader Primoz Roglic and his lieutenants were forced into a defensive position on the gravel sections around Troyes, but the Slovenian ultimately finished neatly in the group with the other general classification contenders.
Roglic lost contact with the peloton on the second gravel section, just as UAE-Team Emirates and Visma | Lease a Bike accelerated. "I’m too old to get nervous, so I stayed calm. Everyone did a good job, and now it's up to us to look ahead. It was a new challenge and fun to be a part of," he replied in his characteristic style to FloBikes.
In the team car, there was more stress, according to team boss Ralph Denk on the team's podcast. "The relief is great because we didn't lose any time to the other favorites. But we were on the defensive for the entire race because we were poorly positioned on the first sections, which cost us a lot of energy and some men. If you start badly, you can't regroup. We need to analyze where the problem was: if Primoz didn’t stay with the domestiques, it's his fault. But if they weren't positioned properly, then it's on them."
Read more below the photo.
Remco Evenepoel and Tadej Pogacar tried multiple times to put Jonas Vingegaard under pressure, but Roglic was absent from that game. "We were lucky that the other three didn't continue pushing, as Primoz had already used up a lot of energy closing the gap," said Denk. "I'm not sure if it was Visma | Lease a Bike's direct goal to hurt Primoz; I think they just wanted to make the race tough. They certainly did a much better job than we did."
Not only did Roglic have a tough day, but co-leader Aleksandr Vlasov also had a hard fall. The climber got back on his bike visibly groggy. "It seems he made a mistake and ended up in the ditch. He was bleeding from his face and elbow, but it's his ankle that worries us the most. He wasn't walking well, so we need to conduct further investigations," Denk provided a medical update.
Read more below the video.
Before the stage, there was already discontent about including the gravel route in the Tour, which the CEO of Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe addressed again afterward. "We brought in staff and cars, as well as support personnel from Belgium and Slovenia, as if it were Paris-Roubaix. I'm a bit bothered by the organizer's double standards. They want to make the race 'greener,' but this stage has little to do with sustainability."
Moderately positive interim balance for Red Bull-BORA-hansgrohe
Finally, the team leader and the team boss summed up the first nine days of the Tour de France. "I am happy and proud. I give everything, and the guys ahead of me are stronger at the moment. But there are still two weeks to go. If I stay fit and healthy, there will be more opportunities. I'm also not obsessed with the result; it's about getting the most out of myself," said Roglic.
Denk expects that much can still happen. "Primoz's time trial was very good, which was confirmed by the data. We would have liked to be closer to yellow, but after nine days, we're still in the race, and that's positive. Next week, we head to the Pyrenees, and things can shake up again."
Il Lombardia 2024
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Latest Comments
- Van Aert is really handsome. He can influence me all day! Ditto for Philipsen. Why do you think many of us love cycling?: to see heroic attempts at climbing mountains at high altitudes or to watch speedsters sprint for the finish line or to watch a human being ride at break neck speed down a tricky descent? No, it's all about their lean physiques and muscular legs. (apologies for objectifying these dedicated and amazing athletes).BarwonHeadsUp25-10-2024
- It is unfortunate that the author can't feel the joy that Pogacar brings to the sport and his fans who are legion and I for one feel lucky to have watched such a memorable performance and historic season From the Strada until yesterday with multiple wins in stages in both tours and beyond dominance in the World's. He is proud to wear the Rainbow stripes, shows his leadership to protect his fellows and is as courteous and sportsman-like as the sport allows. He goes early to not have to respond to each attack as all the rest would make him do it. Any racer who could would do the same. Don't "grow tired" of greatness as it is always fleeting.ccrider13-10-2024
- What load of rubbish. Pog is likely a once in a generation cyclist, the like of which hasn't been seen since 'the Cannibal '. How many people were complaining that Merckx was making racing predictable? I remember this year's World RR as one of the most exciting I've watched. Mainly BECAUSE Pog was the favourite and launched what everyone thought (Pog included) was a suicidal attack with 80km to go. For the next 2 hours, I was on the edge of my seat thinking "this is too much, even for Pog". Maybe Zonnefeld prefers the snooze-fest that is a bunch sprint? Like most people I know, I can't watch two hours of the bunch riding very fast... I wait for the final 5km and watch just the sprint. In any event, most races are won from a sprint or lone break. What difference does it make who makes the lone break? Ultimately, the other contenders will have to figure out a way to beat Pog. Even if that means collaboration between teams. It's going to be an exciting few seasons, until the next Pog arrives on the scene. If this is boring, heaven knows what exciting looks like!Michael513-10-2024
- This is not a gravel race. UCI fail, from the surface they are on to team tactics. In what country was the first "gravel race" in what country is the most popular gravel race? Go with the race model that created the discipline.
Barnes127411-10-2024 - And don't forget he has now won 4 of the big 10 races (Grand tours, Monuments and WC/OG) in one year with a chance to make that 5. (5 has only been done once before)Joostmehrtens05-10-2024